Method of furling and unfurling windmill-sails



UIITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

`T. C. VICE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

METHOD OFIURLING AND UNFURLIN G WIN'IDIVIILL-SAILS.`

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,630, dated August 29, 1854.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. VICE, of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Mode of Clothing and Unclothing the Sails of Windmills while in motion or at rest by which also the sails may be clothed in whole or in part in an easy and expeditious man ner, leaving the surface even and regular in breadth from top to bottom, and in like manner the cloth or any part of it may be folded or rolled up to the whip at pleasure by simple and durable machinery; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of my said improvement, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure l, represents a front view of the wind mill sails A, A, A, A-as unclothed, partly clothed and clothed. Fig. 2, repre sents a sectional view of two opposite vanes, in connection with a hollow main shaft B, to which all the vanes are securely fastened, and also representing such other part of the machinery for adjusting the cloths on the vanes as can be readily shown in a drawing.

The vanes may be made of the usual shape, varying in size and number as shall be preferred, said vanes being securely fastened by a cast iron flange or otherwise,to a main hollow shaft B, in Fig. 2, of wood or cast iron of suitable size. Through said hollow shaft passes an iron rod C, having journals at either end thereof as, m, w a'.

D is a bevel gear securely fastened to the outer end of the rod C, so as just to clear the out edge of said flange. E, E, E, E, are bevel pinions meshing into said bevel gear, said pinions being also securely fastened to the ends of iron rollers H, H, H, H eXtending from said bevel gear out-ward to the point of the vane stock or whip, and parallel thereto, and also fastened to said vane stock by proper ournals at or near the ends of said rollers.

K, is a wheel securel fastened to the tail end of the rod C, saidY wheel being turned either way on its aXis, by hand or otherwise, will hause said rollers H, H, H, H, to revolve on their journals. A pair of centrifugal balls like the governor of a steam engine may be arranged in connection with said rod C so as readily to adjut the sails of the mill.

outwardly therefrom and unfold the same l I make use of stationary iron rods at the extreme heel and outer edge of the vanes respectively, and also others at proper distances intermediate-said rods passing directly across the vanes from the vane stock to the outer shroud they being fastened at either end to the said shrouds and vane stock respectively. I also attach a convenient number of rings or loops to the back side of the sails at the heel edge'and also extreme out edge thereof, as well also at intermediate points in rows across the back of the sails, which rings or loops are so ar ranged as easily to traverse said stationary rods, the eXtreme end rods and rings or loops being intended to keep the sails properly stretched lengthwise, and the intermediate rods and rings or loops to secure the sails snug to the vanes. The inner edge of the sail may be secured to the vanes stock or whip by means of rings, or loops or otherwise. Attach to said rollers H, H, H, H, any desired number of reeing lines pass ing. the same thence across the outside of the sails through rings or loops attached to the opposite or out edge of said sails, thence over the edge of the shroud, or over pulleys or through staples attached to said shroud at o, 0, o, o, thence across the sails to the aforesaid rollers H, H, H, H, said lines being coiled around and fastened to the same. When the cloth is drawn up in folds toward the whip so much of these lines will be wound up on the rollers H H, H, H, one way, and off from it the ot-her, as will be sufficient to let out the cloth again when the same roller turning the contrary way draws the cloth on the vane.

By having geared rollers attached to the heel edge, or to the eXtreme out edge of the vane and at right angles to the vane stock, the cloth may be folded or unfolded at pleasure, from the extreme out point to the heel edge or the reverse, by making use of a corresponding arrangement of reefing lines,

rings, or loops, and stationary rods, as in the first case. Or by dispensing` with the stationary rods and the sliding rings or loops, the cloth may be made to roll up and around the said rollers H; H, H, H, if prejferred, or the reverseor to roll up and around a roller arranged at the shroudy and\lengthwise the vane-orby having a` roller either at the heel edge o-r `at vthe extreme out or point edge of the Vane, the? cloth may be rolled up and unrolled from .point to heel of the vane or the reverse, as

may be preferred.

L, is a brake Wheel so called, by which the power of the mill is conveyed to the machinery to be propelled. A pair of `centrifugalY balls like the governor of a steam engine may be Veasily arranged in connection with said rod C, so as readily to adjust the sails. i

T. o. VioE.

Witnesses:

E. F. C'SHMAN,

WM KING. 

